With the steel frame and backer board prepped and ready for the base slab to be cast, it was time to start mixing…
Prepped for mixing: The calm before the storm
A little prep work before the students showed up included getting some mixing stations set up (plywood and masonite squares) and some plastic laid out to protect the sidewalks (somewhat effective, some scraping to be done…). Two of the student groups were still working on their stage one projects: the brick cutters and the dome builders. That freed up the other two groups to begin mixing and casting the dense base layer of the oven floor.
Ready... Set... MIX!
The clay that we are using for the adobe mix is locally sourced from right next door on Briar Chapel property, and contains a very high percentage of clay. There is of course the regional Carrboro Grit and some miscellaneous debris to content with, but we got a pretty clean vein thanks to some careful scouting and some help from a big ol’ front loader. The mixing procedure consists of carefully chopping the clay soil into the smallest grains possible so that we have a fairly homogenous blend with few chunks. A flat shovel is best for this, but some students had to make do with a pointed one…
I Mix You Like Craaaazy, I Mix You Like Craaaazy....
After 5 or 6 batches and some tired shoulders we had enough mixture to cast a three inch thick dense base slab. This mixture has a high percentage of cement mixed in with the clay to create a solid slab. The next layer will employ perlite to create an insulating slab that will go on top of this one. But our goal for this day was accomplished: Base Slab = Done.
Y'all just couldn't resist carving your initials into it, could you...
